


Rumors

by Honey_Honey



Category: Captain America (Movies), Iron Man (Movies), Marvel, Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies), The Avengers (Marvel) - All Media Types
Genre: M/M, WIP, anyway, i think it's pretty freaking good, okay wow this is, so far - Freeform, thinking of adding some angst, um, we'll see ehehehe
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-08-24
Updated: 2020-03-14
Packaged: 2020-10-01 18:49:26
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 4,904
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20370991
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Honey_Honey/pseuds/Honey_Honey
Summary: After Pepper breaks up with Tony, he needs something to take his mind off of it and get him back into his usual self. It just so happens that Steve needs a bit of a pick me up, too. Of course, chaos ensues in the form of a fake relationship.Or!The not so fake dating AU.





	1. Distraction

**Author's Note:**

  * For [anastasiaclaire](https://archiveofourown.org/users/anastasiaclaire/gifts).

Steve jumped as his phone started ringing, looking up from his hundredth drawing of the night, this one of the flowering trees in front of his apartment building. Tony Stark’s face and name flashed on the screen, along with a soft, upbeat melody playing through the speakers. Steve quickly grabbed the phone and slid it open. “Hello?”

“Steeeeve! Hi!”

Steve blinked. “Hey, Stark. Um, is everything okay?”

“What?” Tony asked. “Yeah yeah yeah, everything's great. Wonderful.” A short pause in which it sounds like Tony swallows something, then drops something on a table. “Why?”

Steve leaned back in his chair, looking up at his ceiling. “Well, it sounds like your voice is kind of slurred. And you just drank something, which I'm going to assume was alcohol, judging from how aggressively you dropped the cup. And… you’re calling me for the first time in months at 2:16 in the morning.”

Another pause, this one longer. Steve bit his lip. “Tony? You there?”

“Pepper broke up with me.”

Steve blinked. Then sucked in a breath through his teeth. “She did?”

“Yeah. Said that the superhero stuff was too unpredictable. That she wanted kids, and she couldn’t have kids in this environment. She wanted me to promise no more surprises.”

Steve was quiet for a few moments. “Are you alright?”

“No.”

“Do you want me to… come over?”

“...Yeah.”

“Are you in your lab?”

“Yeah.”

“Okay. Alright.” Steve stood, grabbing his brown leather jacket and his keys. “I’ll be there in ten.”

* * *

Steve parked his motorcycle in the Stark Tower garage, letting himself in and making his way through the building he remembered so well. He found his way to Tony’s lab, the lights dimmed and a figure hunched over the desk, head in his hands. “Tony?”

Tony didn’t look up, throwing Steve a short wave before covering his face again. Steve sighed and walked over to him, collecting the bottles and glasses spread across the table. He left, depositing the glasses in the sink and the bottles in the recycling bin. He then grabbed a clean cup, filled it with water, and made his way back to Tony, tilting his head.

“Let me guess,” he said, standing in front of Tony. “Don’t want to talk about it?”

Tony let out a humorless chuckle and looked at Steve. His eyes were red rimmed and puffy. “When do I want to talk about anything, Rogers. Besides, it was bound to happen, I just didn’t know when.”

Steve bit his lip and nodded, uncertain. “Here,” he said, handing Tony the water. “Drink this.”

Tony groaned, but obeyed, taking the water and sipping slowly. “I’m sorry,” he muttered, eyes closing again. He ran a hand through his hair, leaving it sticking up everywhere. Steve fought the urge to tug one of the loose strands.

“What? What are you sorry about?”

“The way it ended.” Tony opened his eyes, watching Steve with caution. “And I’m sorry for cutting you off.”

Steve swallowed and nodded. “I’m sorry, too. I fucked up.”

“Language, Cap’,” Tony murmured, letting a small chuckle slip. Steve smiled.

“Hey, let's get you to bed. I can come by tomorrow.” Tony immediately groaned, dropping his head on his desk, complaining that there was no way he could walk. Steve responded by standing up and picking up the smaller man. “I didn’t ask if you think you could walk, Tony,” he said. “I just said you need to go to bed.”

Instead of complaining, the way Steve thought he would, Tony wrapped his arms around the soldiers neck and closed his eyes, already dozing off. Steve carried him into his bedroom and laid him on the bed. As he pulled the covers up and over Tony, the younger man grabbed his hand.

“Stay with me,” he murmured, eyes still half shut, barely making a sound. Steve smiled at him, shaking his head.

“Maybe another time. I’ll be back tomorrow, Tony.” He glanced at the bedside table, reading the clock. 3:17am. He squeezed Tony’s hand, then turned out the light, making his way outside.

While he exits the tower, Steve thinks he sees someone moving in the bushes across the street. But after a few seconds of watching, he decides he’s seeing things.

After all, it’s 3am. Who would be out at this time?

* * *

“Rogers, where are you?”

Steve blinked slowly. He’d woken up to a billion missed calls and hundreds of texts from Tony. “I’m at home? Still asleep?” He rubbed his eyes and glanced at the time. 8:23 am.

“How soon can you be at the tower?”

“The tower?” Steve sat up, stretching. “I just left like 5 hours ago, Tony. What do you want?”

“Have you seen the news?”

“...No?”

“Then I need you at the tower. You should look for a newspaper before you come here.”

Then he hung up.

Steve stared at his phone dumbly for a few seconds before checking his news app and seeing a less than ideal headline with a large picture of him. After a couple seconds of shock and worry, he dropped his phone on the bed and rushed to get ready.

* * *

“Super Soldier Sleeping with Stark?”

Steve sat on one of Tony’s armchairs, one hand running through his hair while the other held a magazine open. Tony was sitting in the armchair across from him, leaning his head onto his hands. “What do you think, Cap?”

On the cover of the newspaper, right below the headline, was a picture of Steve leaving the tower, a faint smile on his face. The time stamp said 3:20 am. “I’m sorry,” Steve said, frowning and looking up at Tony. “But, uh, I’m sure we can fix it. We could hold, like, a press conference or something. Shut the rumors down, before they start.”

Tony looked at Steve through his fingers. “Really? That’s so… boring.”

Steve raised his eyebrows and crossed his arms. “Alright,” he said, tilting his head. “What do you have in mind , then?”

Tony pushed himself off the chair, fixing his shirt collar and shaking out his sleeves. “I was thinking,” he said, smiling a little, “that we let people believe what they want.”

“Like, just don’t address it?”

“Well… Maybe more of fuel their hypothesis.”

Steve blinked. Then raised one eyebrow. “Tony-“

“Hear me out!” Tony interrupts, grinning now. “I know you’ve been bored. This would be so fun. And…” He put on his best ‘pretty please’ face. “It’d take their attention off me and Pepper.”

Steve groaned, dropping his head over the back of the armchair. “That is so unfair. You don’t get to end like that.”

Tony moves behind the chair, his face looking down at Steves. “Is that a yes I hear?”

Narrowing his eyes, Steve sighed. This was a bad idea and he knew it. He should just tell Tony no and walk away. Especially so soon after Pepper left? Bad idea.

But… He had been bored. And Tony really seemed to want it.

“You know what?” He asked, smiling a little. “Yeah. That’s a yes.”

The worry in the back of his mind dissipated as Tony let out a whoop and collapsed in his armchair. Maybe he was right. Maybe this would be fun.

“So,” Steve asked, leaning forward, his elbows on his knees. “How do we do this, Stark?”

Tony looked up, smiling a little. “Well, I think the press conference was a good idea. But our news will be a lot more exciting.”


	2. Nerves and Lying

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's time for the press conference

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is a little shorter, but the next few are gonna be pretty long. I hope you guys enjoy!!

Steve wiggled his leg in the car on the way to the press conference, biting his lip. He still couldn’t believe he’d agreed to go through with it, the whole ‘fake a relationship’ thing.

Only a couple days ago, Tony had managed to convince him, and they’d been feeding the press since: domestic trips to the store, walks in the park, and sharing a milkshake were only a few of the activities Tony thought of. But he knew what he was doing; the press ate it right up.

And now, they were doing the modified version of Steve’s plan: a press conference to announce their relationship.

“Hey,” Tony murmured, turning to Steve and resting a hand on the blondes bouncing leg. “Are you okay? With this?”

Steve blinked and nodded, tilting his head at the hand on his knee. “My mom used to do that, put her hand on my knee. Whenever I got jumpy or nervous.”

“Oh.” Tony started to pull away, looking like he thought he’d crossed a line. “I didn’t know.”

Steve shook his head quickly, placing his hand on Tony’s and smiling. “No, it’s okay. It… It’s helping.”

And as the car pulled up to the conference building, Tony smiled and laced his fingers in Steve’s. “You get nervous in there,” he said, starting to open the door. “Let me know. I can distract overly nosy reporters.”

Steve’s “Thank you” was swallowed by the yelling of reporters and the flashing of cameras.

* * *

As they entered the conference room, Steve instinctively squeezed Tony’s hand, smiling shyly at the crowd. This feels weird. He wasn’t sure why he was so nervous, as he’d been to many press conferences before, about more pressing issues than this. And yet… maybe it was the fact that he was about to feed them a lie?

Tony squeezed Steve’s hand back. “You good, blondie?”

Steve nodded, blinking a couple times to clear his head. “I’m good, Tony.” He made sure to add some softness to his smile, gently pushing Tony’s shoulder with his own. The camera flashes went wild. Reporters shouted questions all at once, tabloid journalists pushing one another to try and be seen.

Tony held up a hand, and the noise died down long enough for them to take their seats. “One at a time, please?” He asked, chuckling at the crowd, Steve’s hand still in his. Steve stared at him, impressed with how quickly everyone listened to him.

Tony leaned in, his face inches from Steve’s, who’s breath stuttered momentarily. “Ready for this, blondie?”

Steve swallowed and grinned at him. “Yeah. Let’s do this.”

Tony returned the grin, winking at Steve, before leaning back and gesturing to the reporters, signaling the beginning of the conference.

As the questions began, Steve mostly just listened quietly, laughing where he was supposed to, throwing his “All American Boy” smile at the crowd and his best “Love-sick” smile at Tony. There were a couple times he’d space out, but he answered three or four questions.

“Mr. Stark, is it true that you and Mr. Rogers are in a romantic relationship?” One reporter asked, shoving her microphone forward.

Tony laughed a little. “‘Romantic Relationship’ is so stiff, but yes. You could probably tell from this,” he said, grinning and holding their intertwined hands up for the cameras to see. Steve grinned and shook his head, spacing out as the questions began again.

“Mr. Rogers?” a reporter asked, grabbing Steve’s attention. He nodded as the reporter went on. “What is it that you see in Mr. Stark? What did you notice first?”

Steve thought for a moment, caught a bit off guard. “I mean, for one, he’s very handsome.” The reporters all laughed as Tony grinned and playfully smacked Steve’s arm. They went quiet in seconds, expecting more, maybe something soft.

Steve thought to himself for a moment, struggling with the thought of feeding them untruths, before he took Tony’s hand in both of his, a tentative smile on his face. “But what really made me do a double take? He reminded me of art. He made me want to draw.” He took a risk, brushing a kiss along Tony’s knuckles. “Something I haven’t wanted to do in a long time.”

And as the room filled with a chorus of “aww”s, as Tony sent him a real, flustered grin, Steve realized it wasn’t really a lie.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading, guys! Lemme know what you think :)


	3. Fries and Milkshakes

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Cute ass lunch date :)

“Earth to Rogers,” called Tony, waving a menu in front of Steve’s face. “You there, space cadet?”

Steve blinked and nodded, grinning apologetically at the waitress, who said she’d back later for their orders before skating away. Steve opened his menu and tilted his head a little. This place was so different, but it kept the whole “1950's” vibe. He could appreciate that.

“What’re you thinking about, Rogers?” Tony asked, taking a sip of the complementary waters they’d been served earlier. “You’ve been spaced out for the past 5 minutes.”

Steve shook his head. “Pop’s hasn’t changed much, it’s surprising… Last time I was here? It was a 1950's diner, but _actually_ in the 1950's.”

Tony laughed a little, shaking his head. “I get it, Cap, you’re a relic,” he said teasingly. Steve smiled.

“You can’t call me Cap,” he said, laying his menu flat on the table in front of him and leaning on his elbows. “And I can’t call you Stark. Do you know how hard of a habit that’ll be to break?”

Tony rolled his eyes. “Tell me about it. What do I call you? Steven? Grant? It’s just so boring,” he sighed, taking a sip of his water.

“I don’t know,” Steve answered, a mischievous smile playing on his face as he propped his head in his hands. “You could always call me ‘baby’.”

Tony looked like it was taking all his will power not to spit out his water. “_Baby_?” He asked incredulously. “Why would I do that? Besides the whole dating thing, baby is so… weird. I like babe better.”

Steve shrugged and leaned back in his chair, deciding he’d order a burger and a basket of fries. “Alright then. You can call me whatever you want, sweetheart.”

Tony almost spit out his water again.

The flash of a camera right outside the window caught their attention, but they didn’t turn to look. They’d been doing this for quite a while now. They knew what they were doing.

“Show time?” Asked Steve, whispering and leaning over the table, towards Tony.

Tony matched his actions, smiling and tilting his head. “You know it, _babe_.”

Steve told his heart to calm down.

The waitress returned to get their orders (Cheeseburger, extra cheese, no pickles, and a basket of fries for Steve; Burger, no cheese, extra pickles, and a basket of fries for Tony), then again shortly after to deliver their food. All the while, Steve and Tony kept their heads close together, Steve pasting on a mischievous, good boy gone bad smile as he whispered something to Tony, who leaned back laughing and playfully smacking Steve’s shoulder.

“I thought you were the golden boy?” Tony asked, just loud enough for those in the neighboring booths to hear.

“I’m anything you want me to be, baby,” Steve replied, winking as Tony discreetly rolled his eyes.

They bantered as they ate their food, discussing day-to-day things, updating each other on random stuff. They stayed close together the whole time, acting as if they were discussing how cute the other was, or maybe something more intimate.

A little stretch of quiet settled. It was comfortable, Steve realized, taking a sip of water. He didn’t feel like he needed to say anything. But he didn’t want to leave their little bubble.

Tony fidgeted slightly then looked up from his fries. “Hey, Steve?”

Steve had finished off his fries and his burger a few minutes ago. “Yeah?”

“You should move in. With me, I mean.”

Steve took another sip of water, then tilted his head slightly. “Move in with you?”

“Just, like, for the whole ‘dating’ thing,” Tony scrambled to explain, shaking his head. “You don’t have to if you don’t want to. It’s just to, like, make it more believable I guess. We’ve been doing this for a couple weeks, but we’ve known each other for longer, and I think it would be natural to-”

“Hey, whoa. Slow down, Tony.” Steve looked at Tony’s hands, which were flat on the table, and he took one in his own. “Look at me real quick, okay?” Tony did. “You don’t have to explain it all to me. I trust you. If you think it’s worth a shot, let's do it. I’ll move in with you.” Steve grinned, adding, “I miss my super spacious room, anyway.”

Tony laughed, visibly relaxing. “Yeah, okay. Cool.”

The waitress came by again (_Allison_, Steve thought to himself, reading her name tag.) and took their empty plates, leaving Tony’s unfinished fries. Steve ordered one vanilla milkshake and two straws, and he saw Allison's grin before she left to get it ready.

Steve didn’t let go of Tony’s hand, even when the milkshake came. He told himself it was for the press, but… no one was really looking at them anymore. What if a paparazzo was hiding somewhere? Besides, he liked rubbing his thumb along the back of Tony’s hand.

He pushed the thoughts away, stealing one of Tony’s fries and dipping it into the milkshake, before popping the whole thing in his mouth.

Tony’s nose wrinkled almost immediately. “Gross, Steve,” he said, shaking his head.

Steve raised his eyebrows. “What? You’ve never had fries dipped in a milkshake?” He shook his head, grinning. “You’re missing out, babe. Here.” Steve stole another fry and dipped it into the milkshake before popping it into Tony’s mouth.

Tony chewed slowly, his nose still kind of wrinkled. Steve thought it was cute. “Steve,” he said, right after swallowing. “That. Was so good. What the _fuck_.”

Steve laughed as Tony ate another milkshake french fry. Their hands were separated as they each opened their own straws and took a sip of the milkshake.

Steve looked at Tony’s hand, and he bit his lip. It was stupid, getting worked up over something as small as holding Tony’s hand. But there was no way he could really justify it. There were no paparazzi left. The diner was mostly empty, the only occupants being some highschool girls soccer team getting a victory dinner. There was literally no one who would see their hands, no one who would be important to their little prank, except Allison. (And what role would she even play?)

But still. Steve found his hand reaching towards Tony’s. Rubbing his thumb along Tony’s knuckles, then interlacing their fingers.

Tony looked around, then at Steve. One eyebrow raised, a smirk painting his lips, his eyes sparkling.

“Shut _up_, Stark,” Steve said, grinning as his face went red. He chucked a fry at Tony before hiding his face.

Tony laughed, dodging the fry. “I didn’t say anything, Rogers.” Steve looked up as Tony brought their hands up and brushed his lips against the back of Steve’s hand. He didn’t miss the pink staining Tony’s cheeks as he grinned back, nor did he miss the way the sun shone through Tony’s hair and made stripes over his face.

Steve itched for a pencil.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you're reading this, I love you <3


	4. The Cure to a Creative Block

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> We get some artsy Steve and a little bit of focus on Tony near the end, ehehehe

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Y'all! It has been forever since I updated. Anyway, this chapter was written while listening to 'Birthday' by All Time Low, 'Favorite Liar' by The Wrecks, and the 'Double Dare' album by Waterparks. I hope you like it!

Steve let out a breath of relief as he dropped the last box off in his room. He made his way through the halls and back to the front door. The late-June heat was enough for him to have taken his shirt off and draped it around his neck like a towel as he worked with the moving crew to set up his room.

He finished up with the crew, paying them and thanking them for their work, helping them pack up equipment. After Steve waved goodbye to the retreating moving truck, he looked up at the tower. His new home. Again.

He walked into the building, making his way to the kitchen, where he found Tony looking out the window. “Hey there, sleeping beauty,” he began, grinning and making his way to the other man.

Tony turned around and grinned, cup of coffee in hand. He made his way over to Steve, eyes not-so-discreetly checking out the captain's toned chest and abs. Steve noticed and blushed, looking away. Tony laughed and started making a second cup of coffee. Steve watched him move, admiring his ‘I’m not even awake yet’ look and his messy hair, sticking up in places it usually didn’t. He felt the urge to grab a pencil again.

“Earth to Rogers!” Steve snapped into focus, looking up at Tony’s eyes. “Hey, what’re you staring at?” Tony asked, eyes squinted at him, one hand on his hip.

Steve grinned. “Just the biggest nerd ever,” he replied, resting his head on his hands. Tony laughed and shook his head, passing Steve the second cup of coffee (two sugars, a bit of creamer). Steve thanked him and took a sip, savoring the taste.

“Hey, speaking of nerds,” Tony began, sitting in the chair next to Steve. “Are you up for another PR event?”

Steve tilted his head. “Am I what for a what now?”

Tony laughed, knowing that Steve knew what he was talking about. “There’s a science and tech organization holding a charity ball thing in a couple of weeks. You wanna do that with me? Since, you know, we both supported the charity in the past, and… well, the publicity would be good.”

Steve nodded, taking another sip of his coffee. “Yeah, I think that’s a great idea. Although, I don’t have a suit. I could wear my old army uniform?”

“Hmm.” Tony ran a hand through his hair, making it even messier than it already was, and almost distracting Steve again. “I mean, I’d have to see how you look in it first, but it’s really up to you. If you don’t want to wear it, we could get you fitted for a new suit.”

Steve nodded, smiling. “Sounds like a plan.”

Tony grinned and winked at him, putting both their cups in the sink. He made his way out of the room, brushing his hand gently against Steve’s back and announcing he’d be in the lab if Steve needed anything.

Steve shivered at his touch. Just a little bit. ‘Weird,’ he thought to himself, brushing off the thought and instead going up to his room. He grabbed a pencil and tried to get himself to draw.

* * *

After two hours of unsuccessful attempts at drawing the view from his window, Steve wandered around the tower with his sketchbook in hand. He wanted to find something that would inspire him enough to draw something with feeling behind it. He didn’t find the inspiration in the giant glass wall looking over New York, nor the rooftop pool area, and not in the kitchen. Didn’t he feel the need to draw in the kitchen earlier? Why was it gone now?

Feeling a little defeated, Steve made his way downstairs and continued wandering, until he found himself outside of Tony’s lab. He shrugged to himself and pushed open the door, walking in and finding Tony messing with a hologram blueprint. His hair was less messy, but still spilling into his face and sticking up a little bit in the back. When he heard Steve walk in, Tony turned and visibly brightened. “Rogers! To what do I owe the pleasure?”

Steve grinned. “I’ve been trying to draw but I… can’t. Artists block. I thought I’d come down here and bother you instead.” Steve sat down in one of the chairs at Tony’s desk, looking at the blueprint, and then at the man who was so hard at work. “Can I ask you a question?”

“You just did, Cap.”

“Very funny, Tony. Not.” Steve rolled his eyes, hiding a smile. “Do you ever get inventors block?”

Tony hummed to himself, moving his fingers across the image as if it were a screen, moving some parts around, adding some and getting rid of others. “Definitely,” he said, glancing at Steve. “Not often, but when it hits, it hits bad.”

Steve nodded, relating to Tony's sentiment. “How do you get past it?”

“Huh.” Tony was quiet again for a bit, then he stepped back from his work and picked up his (probably now cold) coffee. “I’m not super sure, actually. I think it goes away when… when I find something that inspires me? Like, I’ll be talking about something I really hate doing or seeing and I’ll think to myself, ‘Hey, if I made blah blah blah, I could totally fix that.’ Kind of like I can’t stop myself from trying to sketch it out or write it down.”

Steve nodded, and his mind went back to the need he felt earlier in the kitchen. How he was dying to grab a pencil. Tony started working on the blueprint again and Steve watched. He watched the way Tony’s brows drew together in a way that was already leaving wrinkles behind, the way his lips tightened in the corners as he tried to solve a particularly difficult issue, and how he didn’t even bother to push the hair out of his eyes or smooth it down before working again. He focused on the gleam in Tony’s eye.

And this time, when Steve felt the need for a pencil, the urge to open his sketchbook and draw furiously without stopping, he knew why. So, he did. The lab descended into comfortable silence, with only the soft whisper of Steve's pencil on paper, and Tony’s coffee mug being picked up and put back down.

* * *

After maybe an hour or so, Tony got curious. He wanted to know what Steve was drawing. If he really had been having artist's block and now he was really going at it, it must have been something really inspiring. He’d seen Steve’s old art (mostly drawings of Peggy that left a weird feeling in the back of Tony's mind. He rarely noticed it). Steve was an incredible artist. And in the past hour, he’d filled maybe 3 pages.

“Steve?”

Steve looked up, eyebrows raised in curiosity. “What’s up?” He asked, a soft smile taking over his face as soon as he made eye contact with Tony.

Tony smiled back at him, making his way over to Steve and sitting on the desk in front of him. “Can I see what you’re drawing?”

Tony watched Steve’s face as he seemed to battle over saying yes or no. He could almost narrate Steve’s inner monologue - that’s how well he knew the soldier at this point.

‘Weird,’ Tony thought, his eyes following the curve of Steve’s face. ‘I could never really tell what Pepper was thinking.’

“Okay,” Steve said, snapping Tony out of his thoughts. “Okay, sure. But… no judging me. I’m rusty.” Tony rolled his eyes.

“And then you’re gonna show me the Mona-fucking-Lisa and go ‘sorry it’s not my best work.’”

Steve grinned. “I love that. But no.” Steve hesitated for a moment before holding his pinkie out to Tony. “Promise not to judge me?”

Tony tilted his head, eyebrows furrowing. “No, I won’t judge you.” He linked his pinkie with Steve’s. “A little teasing, definitely, but no judging.”

“I can handle teasing,” Steve said, grinning and unlinking their pinkies. Tony was surprised to find himself disappointed, wanting to hold on just a little longer. “Here.”

Tony took the sketchbook gently, opening to the page Steve had started on. He was surprised to see a familiar face staring back at him.

Steve had done an amazing job, as always. He’d captured the features of Tony’s face and posture that Tony hadn’t even noticed himself. The way his brows drew together, the curve of his body as he reached across the table for his coffee, the way the corner of his lips tugged when he tried not to smile. Tony reached a hand up to the back of his head as he saw a drawing that went into detail on his messy hair.

“Steve…” Tony began, for once at a loss for words. He looked up at Steve, who had gone an impressive shade of red and was looking anywhere but at Tony. “So you actually meant it? What you said about drawing at the press conference?” Steve blushed harder and nodded, running a hand through his hair. Tony smiled a little. “At the risk of sounding narcissistic, you managed to make me look beautiful. Even with the detailed bedhead.”

Steve chuckled a little. “I don’t know. At the risk of inflating your ego any further… you’re pretty inspiring, Stark.” Steve smiled at him and nudged his knee against Tony’s leg.

Tony felt his face heat up and he rolled his eyes. “These are amazing. For real.” He nudged Steve back, tracing the drawing with his finger as if it would shatter in his hand at any moment. “Thank you,” he whispered.

“Of course.” Steve smiled at him before getting up. “I’m gonna go make us some lunch, okay? Baby carrots and a grilled cheese cut straight down the middle, right?”

“Yeah,” Tony replied, surprised that Steve knew what he wanted. His eyes were glued to the sketchbook, his heart fluttering with every new detail he noticed.

“You are, you know.”

Tony looked up at Steve. He took in the way his hair was growing out a bit longer than usual on the sides, and the pink of his lips, the light creases in his forehead. “I’m what, exactly?” He asked, one eyebrow raising slightly.

Steve bit his lip, holding back a smile. “Beautiful.”

He left Tony wide eyed and a little scrambled, questioning a couple things he hadn’t let himself think about before.

His eyes fell back on the drawings. His heart fluttered again. He felt his lips curve on their own accord.

And _that’s_ when Tony realized he was fucked.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading! Please leave me kudos if you liked it and a comment with feedback. I love you :)


End file.
